[SkaredShtles]

Time to contact your Congressional reps. A bill has been introduced to end the blanket ban of bicycling in Designated Wilderness Areas.

It sure would be nice, as a mt biker, to support MORE Designated Wilderness, instead of having to oppose it.

http://www.sustainabletrailscoalition.org/press-releases/
http://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=press-releases&id=C07E34FA-887B-49B9-8B4A-CDCE84E5DF79
https://www.scribd.com/document/318327054/Human-Powered-Travel-in-Wilderness-Areas-Act#from_embed

 

[StiHacka]

Fuck IMBA!!

 

[SkaredShtles]

 

[AngryMetalsmith]

So bobsled runs through wilderness areas ?

 

[vinny4130]

In a perfect mtb world this is fantastic, but unless every other state is different than mine there is not enough money to maintain trails that are easy to access.

 

[SkaredShtles]

In a perfect mtb world this is fantastic, but unless every other state is different than mine there is not enough money to maintain trails that are easy to access.

Seems that this would create a new pool of volunteers... I mean - if you're primarily a mt biker, do you have any incentive at all to help maintain trails in Wilderness Areas? I don't.

I *would* if some of the stellar routes currently in WA were open to riding.

Perhaps we might get more $$ allocated as well once the mt bikers are Wilderness supporters? Perhaps a pipe-dream... but this bill would be a good start.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Just to be clear - this bill would NOT unilaterally open trails to biking. It would allow, at the discretion of the land manager, opening of specific trails.

So instead of LOSING great singletrack like we did up in Idaho recently, we could keep it WHILE designating new WIlderness Area.

I, for one, would very much like to support new Wilderness Designations... but I cannot do it while the arbitrary ban on bicycles continues.

 

[dan-o]

I have always supported wilderness despite the ban, because I believe in preserving open space.
That said, I have been known to break access rules on those lands that I find restrictive/selective to certain users (bikes, access to public waters).

 

[StiHacka]

Just to be clear - this bill would NOT unilaterally open trails to biking. It would allow, at the discretion of the land manager, opening of specific trails.

So instead of LOSING great singletrack like we did up in Idaho recently, we could keep it WHILE designating new WIlderness Area.

I, for one, would very much like to support new Wilderness Designations... but I cannot do it while the arbitrary ban on bicycles continues.

This eleventy million times. Best of luck to the sponsors!

 

[SkaredShtles]

I have always supported wilderness despite the ban, because I believe in preserving open space.

As I said - I would love to be able to support new Wilderness Area designations. SO much of our really nice high country is already tied up in Wilderness, though, that I won't support more until bikes are allowed back in. And up in Idaho, those local riders just lost what (from my understanding) was an absolutely spectacular backcountry bike route. And since the ban on bikes was arbitrarily put in place in the early 80's (despite the language of the original Wilderness Act allowing bicycles), it's extra-irritating.

That said, I have been known to break access rules on those lands that I find restrictive/selective to certain users (bikes, access to public waters).

Out here that's kind of playing bike-Russian-roulette. I believe it happens, but the consequences are rather high.

 

[Toshi]

Give me a clickable link that'll generate a letter to my senators and representatives and I'll click and fill in my infoz.

 

[dan-o]

As I said - I would love to be able to support new Wilderness Area designations. SO much of our really nice high country is already tied up in Wilderness, though, that I won't support more until bikes are allowed back in. And up in Idaho, those local riders just lost what (from my understanding) was an absolutely spectacular backcountry bike route. And since the ban on bikes was arbitrarily put in place in the early 80's (despite the language of the original Wilderness Act allowing bicycles), it's extra-irritating.


Out here that's kind of playing bike-Russian-roulette. I believe it happens, but the consequences are rather high.

I agree 100% on all that.
New trails getting built there seems like a stretch, unless it can provide local economic benefits, but new designation removing existing trails is bullshit.

The anti bike hiker/horse groups are out of hand, just like the 'im rich so I own the coastline/lake' crowd.

 

[vinny4130]

Places that have lost land to wilderness like Idaho is one reason I would want this to happen, another reason is to keep "ebikes" (scratch that) electricmotorcycles out. It would maybe help redefine the "motorized" vehicle that keeps bikes out in the first place. However I dont even want to think about the fight this bill will start.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Places that have lost land to wilderness like Idaho is one reason I would want this to happen, another reason is to keep ebikes out. It would maybe help redefine the "motorized" vehicle that keeps bikes out in the first place. However I dont even want to think about the fight this bill will start.

We need to stop referring to those things as e-bikes. They are electric motorcycles. The existence of cranks and pedals is irrelevant to their categorization.

 

[vinny4130]

I agree with this!

 

[stoney]

Last I looked, this opened up wilderness to logging as well (I need to look again). If that's the case, I can't support it. I'd rather have no trails than for Congress to open up wilderness to that for profit aspect.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Last I looked, this opened up wilderness to logging as well (I need to look again). If that's the case, I can't support it. I'd rather have no trails than for Congress to open up wilderness to that for profit aspect.

No no no no no! That's a completely different bill. And that one can go eff itself.

Pretty good tl;dr page from STC: http://www.sustainabletrailscoalition.org/resources/#faq

 

[stoney]

No no no no no! That's a completely different bill. And that one can go eff itself.

Pretty good tl;dr page from STC: http://www.sustainabletrailscoalition.org/resources/#faq

Okay. Give me a link to click on.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Okay. Give me a link to click on.

Errr... see original post above?

 

[6thElement]

And up in Idaho, those local riders just lost what (from my understanding) was an absolutely spectacular backcountry bike route.

Ants Basin was a great route my wife and I rode on our honeymoon. I was sad to see it getting closed as I would have loved to ride there more in the future.

 

[slyfink]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/us/bill-opening-wilderness-areas-to-bikes-also-opens-debate.html?module=WatchingPortal&region=c-column-middle-span-region&pgType=Homepage&action=click&mediaId=wide&state=standard&contentPlacement=3&version=internal&contentCollection=www.nytimes.com&contentId=http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/us/bill-opening-wilderness-areas-to-bikes-also-opens-debate.html&eventName=Watching-article-click

 

[SkaredShtles]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/us/bill-opening-wilderness-areas-to-bikes-also-opens-debate.html?module=WatchingPortal&region=c-column-middle-span-region&pgType=Homepage&action=click&mediaId=wide&state=standard&contentPlacement=3&version=internal&contentCollection=www.nytimes.com&contentId=http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/us/bill-opening-wilderness-areas-to-bikes-also-opens-debate.html&eventName=Watching-article-click

It would have been good for the author to have gone into the fact that:

1) BIkes were ALLOWED in Wilderness Areas until the 80's
2) The rules banning bicycles was an on-again off-again rule for awhile

Interesting memo from the period:

 

[canadmos]

Are wheelchairs allowed in wilderness areas?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Are wheelchairs allowed in wilderness areas?

I believe that technically they are.

I also think that technically, unicycles are not prohibited... but I could be wrong about that one.

 

[slyfink]

Douche nozzle drizzle

 

[SkaredShtles]

Douche nozzle drizzle

Such a pile of tired old drivel, for sure.

 

[jstuhlman]

buu.